Legendary coach Cliff Owuor has made a surprise return to Kenya’s basketball scene, joining the Morans who recently parted ways with their former coach, Liz Mills. Owuor, a firm tactician, has been in Rwanda working with former Rwandese champions APR Basketball.
In sports, success is measured in wins. By those standards, Cliff Owuor is the perfect man for the job, suited to take the Kenya Morans Squad to the World Cup. Owuor won 14 games with the Morans during his tenure. His record stands at 14/5, credited for beating Egypt for the first time in history and lifting the Zone V AfroCan qualifiers Championship in Kampala, Uganda.
In the AfroCan championship that was held in Bamako, Mali, the Owuor-led Morans won 4 games and qualified for the finals by beating Morocco 96-66 in an entertaining semi-final that saw Eric Mutoro erupt for a whooping 36 points. Kenya lost to DRC Congo in the finals but it was evident the Kenya Morans had leveled up to international basketball.
photo credits FIBA
Cliff Owuor believes with the right caliber of players, Kenya can make it to the World Cup. KBF has already called up 20 players in preparation for the qualifiers this February and if the team is well prepared there will be wins for Kenya.
As a father who left his house to search for greener pastures, Owuor’s return is expected to bring in the positive energy and good memories that the team needs. To the Morans, he is a motivational factor, who has proven to bring harmony by giving his players the best and making sure the team has no rifts. The two attributes made the Morans a stronger team.
A lot will be expected from him and the Morans in the upcoming qualifiers. Will the Kenya Morans rise to the occasion?
photo credit: featured image by Eric Barasa